Patch lube for round ball shooting..........Lawdy.

[ETipp]

To the OP- @ETipp


I have not and will not, read all the replies to your post. The ONLY TWO lubes I use are spit patch for targets/woodswalks and TOTW mink tallow for hunting. Not Borebutter/moosemilk/wonderlube/snoseal/ whatevermadeupcrap. I score in the upper 2/3rds of every woodswalk I enter and kill 3-6 deer every years with 0 wounded and not recovered.

You do you.

Good for you. Glad you found what works for you. Everybody to their own thang I reckon.

Choices are a wonderful thing.

 

[Pvt.Hardtack]

Hoppes #9 Black Powder Solvent and Patch Lube , not to be confused with the standard Hoppes #9 solvent/cleaner.
Pillow ticking, roundball .45 caliber. I've tried most of what's been posted here and the Hoppes #9 BP solvent /patch lube works the best for me.
YMMV.

 

[Will]

Hoppes #9 Black Powder Solvent and Patch Lube , not to be confused with the standard Hoppes #9 solvent/cleaner.
Pillow ticking, roundball .45 caliber. I've tried most of what's been posted here and the Hoppes #9 BP solvent /patch lube works the best for me.
YMMV.
View attachment 204003
View attachment 204004

I was just in my local Archery shop the other day having my bow worked on when I looked over on a back shelf and saw two dusty bottles of that solvent and still listed for just over $5.00. I think when I go back there next week,I am going to grab them up.I already have two bottles of it that I bought , I don't know when, and haven't used it for patch lube yet. Maybe I will start.

 

[Pvt.Hardtack]

I was just in my local Archery shop the other day having my bow worked on when I looked over on a back shelf and saw two dusty bottles of that solvent and still listed for just over $5.00. I think when I go back there next week,I am going to grab them up.I already have two bottles of it that I bought , I don't know when, and haven't used it for patch lube yet. Maybe I will start.

Ya better git some before it's long gone.
It's going for over double that price now. Make sure you shake it up before using it.
You will not be disappointed and use it kinda wet. You will get as many as 18 shots with no swabbing the barrel. You won't get that kind of performance with many of the others, mostly the paste type.
I don't use the Hoppes BP stuff for cleaning when I'm done and the rifle will be in the safe.
I use Ballistol in the barrel and lock. RIG grease on the the backside and outside of the lock.

 

[Muzzle57]

Ya better git some before it's long gone.
It's going for over double that price now. Make sure you shake it up before using it.
You will not be disappointed and use it kinda wet. You will get as many as 18 shots with no swabbing the barrel. You won't get that kind of performance with many of the others, mostly the paste type.
I don't use the Hoppes BP stuff for cleaning when I'm done and the rifle will be in the safe.
I use Ballistol in the barrel and lock. RIG grease on the the backside and outside of the lock.

Last week i put off 48 shots without swabbing using the Hoppes. Cleaning was a breeze.

 

[Pvt.Hardtack]

Last week i put off 48 shots without swabbing using the Hoppes. Cleaning was a breeze.

That great ! I think the barrel may have something to do with it and how wet the patch is too.
I'm running a straight GM .45 cal barrel and Old Eynsford 3F, what are you running ?

 

[Mainmechanic]

Have been using Fluid Film for the last several years now. Exceeded all my expectations. Never dries up and cold or heat doesn't overly effect it. Comes in a spray can. I spray up however many Iay need and put in whatever I choose. Easily cleaned with my usual soap and water.

 

[smoothshooter]

Been a long time since I shot patch and RB, and actually, that's all I really wanted to shoot. However, after owning a few TC ML rifles that did not play well with RB, I took the route of conical bullets. They have served me well overall. Took a lot of critters with them. But my heart is in shooting RB.

With that said, and before anyone makes the comment of "whatever your rifle likes best" or something along those lines, I am well aware of how some rifles prefer different recipes. What I am looking for is an overall patch lube, or a good starting point, if you will. The only lube I have ever used, to the best of my memory, was either Bore Butter or whatever some commercial patches were lubed with.

Reason for inquiring on this is simple. From my research I have found about a million different patch lubes that people swear by. From homemade to commercial. Its enough to make anyone's head spin. And yes, I have been taking notes.

Accuracy aside, there are other reasons why so many claim they like this or that lube better. Many swear some lubes will dirty up the barrels more than others. Yet many will say just the opposite. Some claim weather conditions is a factor. Some do not using spit due to it putting moisture down the barrel. Some use a wad on top of the powder due to concerns of the lube soaking into the powder. There are other reasons people site.

Moving along, I will certainly make my own patch lube if I know of a good starting point. If there's a commercial lube that is pretty darn good in many aspects, as well as many people have had good results with, then so be it.

Just looking for a general consensus on an overall good patch lube that has served many well in the past.

Oh, one last thing to note. I will be shooting a Crocket Squirrel rifle and a .54 Lyman Great Plains rifle.

Thank you.

If I were starting over again, I would try out neatsfoot oil ( not the compound ) first, and go from there if it was nor satisfactory.
Never tried it myself, but it is easy to come by, cheap, and a can will last you for years.
I would ditch the Bore Butter for shooting.
It might be useful to have in a fire starter kit though.

 

[ETipp]

If I were starting over again, I would try out neatsfoot oil ( not the compound ) first, and go from there if it was nor satisfactory.
Never tried it myself, but it is easy to come by, cheap, and A can will lastnyou for years.
I would ditch the Bore Butter for shooting.
It might be useful to have in a fire starter kit though.

Thank you for the information. I may very well do that when I get into making my own.

For now, I got some TOTW mink oil. With what few shots I've tried it, it's working out well. I still want to make my own patch lube, and most likely will.

 

[Sun City]

Canola oil!

 

[bronko220002]

ETipp you'd be surprised as to how much difference a lube can make. Not all lubes are created equal! What may shoot good in one rifle may not in another.
Some rifles like a past type lube while others like something more liquidly. I know of a friend of mine that uses Liquid Wrench and swears by it. (that stuff stinks too much for me and I don't care how good it works! - LOL)
I have 2 round ball shooters - both .58s and they like pillow ticking with plain olive oil as a lube.

 

[ETipp]

ETipp you'd be surprised as to how much difference a lube can make. Not all lubes are created equal! What may shoot good in one rifle may not in another.
Some rifles like a past type lube while others like something more liquidly. I know of a friend of mine that uses Liquid Wrench and swears by it. (that stuff stinks too much for me and I don't care how good it works! - LOL)
I have 2 round ball shooters - both .58s and they like pillow ticking with plain olive oil as a lube.

Indeed. From the mountain of information I have received on this subject, in some ML's there's no doubt about that whatsoever

 

[jambuster]

I have been shooting a Lyman GPR -54 for about 5 years . I have used prelubed Bore Butter Patches , Wonderlube patches , and now I am using patches I lube with TOW mink oil. All work about the same and certainly good enough for my shooting needs . I am going to try Crisco, Olive Oil, peanut oil and Castor oil just for kicks.

Incidentally, I have been shooting Schuetzen FFFG . I have had way less problems with fowling shooting Black powder than with Pyrodex. My barrel is rough ( like I read about most Investarms Guns) so I only get a couple of rounds through the gun before I have to swab the barrel. Right now when I go out I swab the barrel with 1 patch of isopropyl Alcohol 70% , one dry patch , and fire a cap between every shot. This gives me the best accuracy.

 

[Will]

I have been shooting a Lyman GPR -54 for about 5 years . I have used prelubed Bore Butter Patches , Wonderlube patches , and now I am using patches I lube with TOW mink oil. All work about the same and certainly good enough for my shooting needs . I am going to try Crisco, Olive Oil, peanut oil and Castor oil just for kicks.

Incidentally, I have been shooting Schuetzen FFFG . I have had way less problems with fowling shooting Black powder than with Pyrodex. My barrel is rough ( like I read about most Investarms Guns) so I only get a couple of rounds through the gun before I have to swab the barrel. Right now when I go out I swab the barrel with 1 patch of isopropyl Alcohol 70% , one dry patch , and fire a cap between every shot. This gives me the best accuracy.

You fire off a cap between each shot? Wow, I couldn't afford that, certainly not at the $14 sticker I have seen on a tin of 100 caps around where I hail from.

 

[Snapshot in Norway]

So the moose milk is made from water soluble cutting oil, water and dish soap or is moose milk an actual product?

Moose milk is hard to get, you know you have to milk the moose cow to obtain some..!

Actually water soluble oil or just plain old Balistol 1:7 is good! I am in the process of going back to spit again, for my flintlock rifle..! It just is plain simple, cheap and it works..! It is a lot of shooters out there that swear to the old period correct spit patch..!

 

[Will]

I tried the spit patching routine before and just plain don't like the idea of sticking cloth in my mouth. Not only do I not like the texture but not knowing what the fabric was treated with, bothers me also. In the old period, there was not much concern about germs and such. Who knew? Marlon Brando died from placing cotton in his mouth for the movie, The Godfather. The cotton had arsenic in it which was put in there in the make up of it. Nope, nothing but food goes in this old child's mouth.

 

[Snapshot in Norway]

Hi, it's the same as the old Lehigh Valley lube. I may be wrong but I think Shenandoah copied Lehigh Valley.

Been looking for the Lehigh valley lube. It is the formula I have had the best results with, even got some brag`n rights back in 2004 at Friendship using that stuff. I knew that Shenendoah is a good copy. But as I am in Norway it is to much of a hassle to to get some of that stuff over the big ocean. I probably stick to spit for now!

 

[Snapshot in Norway]

Never seen any reference to it in any period documents. If it is traditional please show some documentation regarding its use.

If they did not do it in colonial times why should I?

Or was so common, no one bothered to write it down...?

 

[pacanis]

Or was so common, no one bothered to write it down...?

That's my view on a lot of things.
Similar to, we don't know as much about Vikings as other cultures because they didn't see the need to write everything they did down. Like the polar opposite of today's culture, lol.

 

[Snapshot in Norway]

That's my view on a lot of things.
Similar to, we don't know as much about Vikings as other cultures because they didn't see the need to write everything they did down. Like the polar opposite of today's culture, lol.

Like the not written fact that the Vikings knew how to navigate with a magnetic needle or stone afloat in a bucket!